Conservation Wins Again: Jaguar Population Thrives

Over an 8-year period, the jaguar population of Mexico grew by 20%, proof that the national conservation strategies adopted are working – and authorities, communities, and businesses alike contributed to this success.

“It’s very unusual that scientists can do all these things: research, outreach, conservation, and public policy,” says ecologist Gerardo Ceballos of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, founder of Mexico’s National Alliance for Jaguar Conservation and lead author of the paper. “And in Mexico we have been able to do that.”

Thanks to concerted efforts from the government, local residents, and the private sector under the supervision of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, around 4,800 of the near-threatened jaguars – or Panthera onca – now live on the Mexican territory, marking a 20% increase between 2010 to 2018. Part of the strategies adopted includes the preservation of wildlife corridors and sanctuaries, the advocacy for helpful laws and public policy, and measures to avoid conflicts with livestock owners. The next step is to prevent conflicts with humans and habitat loss. Through all these efforts, ecosystems and other wildlife will thrive as the iconic animal is an umbrella species.